Museum of Modern Art Rio – perfect blend of art & architecture

Rio de Janeiro is famous for its beaches, but has a lot more to offer. One of these things is the Museum of Modern Art in Rio. A perfect destination for art lovers, fans of architecture and those seeking an activity on a rainy day. We went there to check it out for you.

The fun already starts before you enter

After a good breakfast, I get the metro to Cinelandia station. From there it is a short walk to the museum, that is located in Flamengo Park. This is normally not the first museum people talk about when visiting Rio, so I’m curious what I get to see today. When I walk over the bridge to the park I already see the museum in front of me. The building of the Museum of Modern Art in Rio is designed by famous Brazilian architect Affonso Eduardo Reidy, and is a piece of modern art on itself. It fits in perfectly with its surrounding gardens and the park designed by another famous Brazilian: landscape architect Roberto Burl Marx. Perfect examples of the modernist Brazilian architecture of the fifties and sixties. I decide to walk around the building a bit before entering to see more of it. While doing this I stumble upon some nice murals on one of the buildings walls. A pleasant surprise!

Art and architecture blend in

After taking a view pictures outside, I enter the building. The first exposition room is a huge room and the intriguing thing is that the whole exposition in this room only consists of two pieces of art. Two giant pieces that is, made by Brazilian artist Ana Paula Oliviera. I think I have never seen sow few pieces in an exposition before, but here it fits. The main work blends in with the architecture of the building and the room. It is cool to see how it’s not just a giant piece of art in a giant room. No, the combination of the artwork and the room become a new piece of art on its own.

More blending of sounds, art, photography and more

In the following exposition rooms it occurs to me that the curators clearly like the theme of ‘blending’ in their expositions. There is a room where sounds and instruments are the base of the artwork and a bit further there is a room with great pictures that give you a look behind the scenes of how famous director Fellini was making his movies in the sixties. In this room the curator placed the photos in a sort of maze. So here I find myself following a path of arrows on the ground guiding me trough this maze.

In the last room the combination of a sculpture and a book with poems forms the inspiration of the exposition. I like the fact how the museum is creative in displaying their art. In that sense the museum fulfills an expectation when going to a Modern Art Museum: you won’t get the obvious, but you will encounter pieces that stimulate your mind, senses and fantasy. I didn’t know what to expect at first, but if modern art is your thing, you should put a visit to this museum on your list.

Of course the expositions in the museum differ from time to time, but what is clear to me, is that the MAM does a good job in creatively curating different types of expositions at the same time. There will definitely be something going on that you like and this diversity makes the visit also worthwhile. Besides that, the works displayed are often made by Brazilian artists. Which makes a visit also a trip into the world of Brazilian modern art. You can check the website of the museum to see which expositions are ongoing at the moment.